AP Invents New Word for Lying: 'Calibrating'

The broadcast networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC proved themselves to terrorist sympathizers again on Wednesday as they whined about Israel sending Hezbollah’s second in command and Hamas’s top leader to meet their maker. Despite the fact Hamas had been a bad-faith actor in ceasefire negotiations, they suggested it was Israel who was sabotaging them by taking out the threats. One reporter even suggested the leader of Hamas was a “moderate” voice. CBS foreign correspondent Imtiaz Tyab was the hands down worst. During his CBS Mornings segment, he decried: “Well, it really does feel as if the Middle East is on the brink of a major escalation following the two assassinations carried out by Israel in a matter of hours, including here in Beirut.” He also insanely proclaimed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, a terrorist, was a “moderate” voice in the negotiating process: The assassination is hugely significant and has major implications. Haniyeh who was leading cease-fire and hostage release negotiations for Hamas and was widely seen as more moderate and pragmatic than Hamas’ military leaders who, after nearly ten months of brutal warfare, continue to battle Israeli forces in Gaza. The fear now is that those talks could be completely abandoned. Willfully ignoring the fact that Hamas has been rejecting peace deals and calling for another genocide of Jews, Tyab lamented Haniyeh’s demise somehow stopped peace. “Now one of the men killed, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' political chief, has been a key negotiator for a cease-fire and hostage release deal with Israel. But now any postal agreement is in major jeopardy,” he bemoaned. On the strike that took out Hezbollah’s Fuad Shukr, Tyab reported that supposedly “two children were killed.” But when noting the Hezbollah attack on a soccer field in Northern Israel that was the impetus for the strike, he merely suggested it “that killed 12 young people.” His framing made it seem like those killed could have been young adults. In reality, all 12 of them were children. It’s worth a reminder that Tyab partied and celebrated with Hamas terrorists released in an exchange for October 7 hostages.     Over on NBCs’ Today, foreign correspondent Raf Sanchez noted that Hamas started the war on October 7 and that Haniyeh “celebrated the terror attack.” But far-left chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel told host Savanah Guthrie that Israel, not the terrorists, were the ones harming the peace process (Click "expand"): GUTHRIE: Now, one of the negotiators killed, presumably by Israel, in Iran. What does that do to this process? ENGEL: It disrupts it tremendously. There has been a deal on the table, that both sides more or less agree to, for the last several months, and they've been trying to work out some of the details. And the Qataris, other mediators, say it is Netanyahu who wants more. Netanyahu keeps insisting on maintaining troops in Gaza, maintaining a long-term security presence, and that Hamas hasn't been able to agree to those terms. And now, after the killing of a member of Hamas' political wing–Ismail Haniyeh was–lives in Qatar–or, did live in Qatar–was part of the political wing, was one of the chief negotiators, now he's dead. So, Qatar, main moderator saying, “Well, how are we supposed to continue these talks when you have one side of the negotiating team killing the other negotiators?” While Engel was suggesting the Qataris were trying to help the peace process, he obfuscated the fact that they too were also a known funder of Islamic terrorism. Meanwhile, on ABC’s Good Morning America, correspondent Matt Rivers seemed to be anticipating a retaliatory strike on Israel. “So, a response from Iran is absolutely coming but what that looks like and when remains to be seen,” he announced. “Does Iran send missiles here like it did several months ago? Does it target Israeli embassies abroad? It's all on the table we’re just gonna have to wait and see. But I can tell you, Robin, few here in Tel Aviv are sleeping soundly these days.” Further, on ABC, foreign correspondent Marcus Moore noted that the Hezbollah attack on Israel “killed 12 children.” But used the false propaganda term “occupied Golan Heights” to describe where the attack happened. The transcripts are below. Click "expand" to read: ABC Good Morning America 7/31/2024 7:02:51 AM GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: First the breaking news overnight. The leader of Hamas was killed in Tehran while visiting for the inauguration of Iran’s new president. This comes shortly after Israel targeted a senior Hezbollah commander involved in this weekend’s deadly strike on a soccer field. Our team is spread out across the region on edge with fears of more escalation. Matt Rivers starts us off in Tel Aviv. Good morning, Matt. MATT RIVERS: Good morning, George. This assassination has absolutely stunned this region in attack killing the political leader of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh right in Tehran the capital of Tehran [sic]. Haniyeh, according to the IDF, the Israel Defense Forces, one of the masterminds of the attack on October 7. He was in Iran for the inauguration of its new president over the weekend. He was under their security protection. Israel not directly taking responsibility for this killing but Iran blaming Israel nonetheless. It's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei vowing revenge saying Israel has "paved the way for a severe punishment and we consider it our duty to avenge the blood of those who were martyred in the Islamic Republic of Iran." So, a response from Iran is absolutely coming but what that looks like and when remains to be seen. Does Iran send missiles here like it did several months ago? Does it target Israeli embassies abroad? It's all on the table we’re just gonna have to wait and see. But I can tell you, Robin, few here in Tel Aviv are sleeping soundly these days. ROBIN ROBERTS: Such tense times there Matt. Okay, thank you. We’re gonna go to Lebanon’s capital Beirut after the Israeli attack there. Marcus Moore has the latest on the strike. Good morning to you Marcus. MARCUS MOORE: Robin, good morning. This was a significant strike happening just before sundown here in southern Beirut, Hezbollah’s stronghold. Israeli officials targeting Fuad Shukr he’s Hezbollah’s top military commander and overnight Lebanese officials saying that a rescue operation was underway at the scene. In a statement, Hezbollah saying that Shukr was in the building at the time of the strike but they have not said anything about his condition this morning. Israel overnight claiming that Shukr had been quote, “eliminated." Now, according to the Lebanese Red Cross Agency several people were killed and more than 70 injured in the attack. Israel saying it was in retaliation for a strike that killed 12 children at a soccer field in the occupied Golan Heights over the weekend. Now Hezbollah is denying any involvement in what happened there. Now in the past, Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah has said an attack on Beirut will be met with an attack on Tel Aviv. People across the region now waiting to see what happens next. George. CBS Mornings 7/31/2024 07:02:15 a.m. Eastern VLADIMIR DUTIERS: Let’s begin with some breaking news this morning. The assassination of a Hamas leader overnight that could have major repercussions for the war in Gaza. Ismail Haniyeh, a political leader who’s one of the chief negotiators in the cease-fire talks, was killed in Iran just after attending the inauguration of the country's new leader. This comes on the heels of another major assassination of a top Hezbollah leader in Lebanon. Imtiaz Tyab is in Beirut. Imtiaz, Good morning. IMTIAZ TYAB: Good morning. Well, it really does feel as if the Middle East is on the brink of a major escalation following the two assassinations carried out by Israel in a matter of hours, including here in Beirut. Now one of the men killed, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' political chief, has been a key negotiator for a cease-fire and hostage release deal with Israel. But now any postal agreement is in major jeopardy.  [Cut to video] TYAB: Chaos in the immediate aftermath of the Israeli air strike in the southern Beirut neighborhood of Dahieh. When we arrived shortly afterwards, hundreds had gathered learning four people including two children were killed and at least 70 wounded in the attack. Well you might be able to see over my shoulder that building over there. That was damaged in that Israeli strike. And as you can imagine, it's a scene of real chaos here, but also one, of real anger. In a move almost unheard of, the Israeli military claimed responsibility for the strike and named its target. DANIEL HAGARI: Fuad Shukr also known as Sayyid Muhsan, Hezbollah’s most senior military commander and the head of its strategic unit. TYAB: Israel says Shukr was responsible for a rocket attack on a soccer field over the weekend that killed 12 young people in the Golan Heights. But before Hezbollah could even respond to his apparent killing, Iranian state TV announced another major assassination by Israel: Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas' political wing. Iran's revolutionary guard also confirmed the killing which triggered shock and panic and the immediate overhaul of the nation's internal security. The assassination is hugely significant and has major implications. Haniyeh who was leading cease-fire and hostage release negotiations for Hamas and was widely seen as more moderate and pragmatic than Hamas’ military leaders who, after nearly ten months of brutal warfare, continue to battle Israeli forces in Gaza. The fear now is that those talks could be completely abandoned.  [Cuts to Live] TYAB: And this morning Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said all-out war in the region is still not inevitable. But following Israel's attack in Beirut and the assassination in Tehran, that may be wishful thinking as Hezbollah, Hamas, and now crucially Iran will no doubt respond. Nate? NATE BURLESON: Imtiaz Tyab in Beirut. Thank you. NBC’s Today 7/31/2024 07:04:02 a.m. Eastern SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: We do want to begin, though, with that breaking news overnight and those escalating tensions in the Middle East, after a top Hamas leader was killed in Iran, heightening concerns of broader conflict throughout that region. We’ve got complete coverage this morning. Let's get started with NBC's Raf Sanchez. Raf, good morning to you. RAF SANCHEZ: Savannah, good morning. In the days after the October 7th attack, Israel vowed to hunt down all of Hamas' top leaders. And early this morning, 299 days into this war, it appears to have taken a major name off its list, allegedly tracking down and killing Hamas' top political chief during a visit to Tehran.  [Cuts to video] SANCHEZ: This morning, the war in the Middle East spreading, as a top Hamas leader assassinated inside Iran. Ismail Haniyeh killed just hours after meeting with Iran’s supreme leader, another avowed enemy of Israel. Both Hamas and Iran blaming Israel for the killing and vowing revenge. The Israeli government refusing to comment. Iran's revolutionary guard saying Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas Political Bureau, and one of his guards were killed in an attack on their residence in Tehran. Iranian media saying it was a missile strike.  The war started by Hamas' attack on October 7th also spilling into Lebanon, where Israel says it took out a senior commander in Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group, who was responsible for killing 12 children in a rocket attack on a soccer field over the weekend. But Lebanon's health ministry says two children were also killed in the Israeli strike.  Now, after the attack in Iran, Hamas reeling from its leader's death. The 61-year-old Haniyeh was more a politician than a fighter. He left Gaza five years ago and lived comfortably abroad, while his people suffered, traveling the world rallying support for Hamas. On October 7th, he celebrated the terror attack. And while the IDF says the real mastermind, Yahya Sinwar, is still hiding in Gaza, Israel vowed it would one day take revenge on Hamas' most public face. [Cuts back to live] Now, there is real fear among the families of Israeli hostages, today, that this killing could derail those fragile cease-fire talks. We're already hearing from the prime minister of Qatar, the key mediator in those talks. He's asking, how can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking in front of Congress last week, did say that intensive efforts are underway to try to get the hostages home. Savannah? GUTHRIE: Alright, Raf, thank you. I want to turn to NBC's chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel, with us here in Paris. Let’s talk about what Raf just said. I mean, you're talking about negotiations that had been bearing some fruit, a hostage deal that the U.S., of course, badly wants. Now, one of the negotiators killed, presumably by Israel, in Iran. What does that do to this process? RICHARD ENGEL: It disrupts it tremendously. There has been a deal on the table, that both sides more or less agree to, for the last several months, and they've been trying to work out some of the details. And the Qataris, other mediators, say it is Netanyahu who wants more. Netanyahu keeps insisting on maintaining troops in Gaza, maintaining a long-term security presence, and that Hamas hasn't been able to agree to those terms. And now, after the killing of a member of Hamas' political wing–Ismail Haniyeh was–lives in Qatar–or, did live in Qatar–was part of the political wing, was one of the chief negotiators, now he's dead. So, Qatar, main moderator saying, “Well, how are we supposed to continue these talks when you have one side of the negotiating team killing the other negotiators?” GUTHRIE: It does raise questions about the timing. Is this one of those situations where, whomever took out this leader, that was a target of opportunity, it had to be done then or you might lose the opportunity? ENGEL: Israel, and there are many Israeli military commentators, people very close to the government, are already celebrating this as a big success. So, even though Israel didn't and probably will never acknowledge it, it’s very likely it was Israel. GUTHRIE: Generally it does not? ENGEL: But generally it does not. But the fact that it was done in Iran is no accident. He lived in Qatar. They could have done it in Qatar, although that would have been an enormous embarrassment–the U.S. has military bases there, Qatar is a mediator. Could have done it in Istanbul, although Istanbul–Turkey is a NATO partner and that would also be a problem, also be an embarrassment.  But doing it in Tehran sends a double message. It sends a message to Hamas that, “We will take out any of your leaders and that the negotiations–there…may be secondary,” and it sends a message to Tehran that Israel can get past its security services and will do what it wants. GUTHRIE: A significant breaking news, Richard. Good to have you with us, here in Paris. Thank you very much.  (...)

The 2024 presidential election will face another major pivot point when Democratic candidate Kamala Harris reveals her choice for vice president on the ticket, and she may have dropped a hint about who that might be. The Harris campaign announced Tuesday evening that the vice president candidate would be making a first appearance with Harris on Aug. 6 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Many believe the location of the rally suggests that the VP pick will be Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Democrats won Pennsylvania back from Republicans in the 2020 election, and if Shapiro were chosen, it would help them retain the state for 2024. After Philadelphia, the Democratic candidates will appear in six other locations including Detroit and Las Vegas. The campaign added that Harris had not yet made her pick. Democrats critical of Israel see Shapiro as a threat to their effort to tilt the Democratic Party against Israel in favor of the Palestinian demands. One group is going so far as to try to slap the moniker of "Genocide Josh" onto the governor. Defenders of Shapiro say that the rhetoric against him has twinges of anti-Semitism since he is Jewish. Other possible vice presidential candidates include U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. The stunning decision by President Joe Biden to step down from the presidential campaign and endorse Vice President Harris has reset the political landscape of the election. One poll found that eight out of 10 Democrats say they would be satisfied if Harris were the nominee for their party. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

If you lie to Congress under oath, you go to jail. The rules are simple, and they certainly apply to conservatives. Steve Bannon is currently serving a prison sentence for contempt of Congress because he refused to testify in a politically motivated inquiry centered on the events of January 6, 2021. However, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Deputy Director Paul Abbate have both blatantly lied to Congress about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. Neither of these men hesitated to lie; neither do they expect to face consequences for their flagrant disregard for the truth.The FBI is a dangerous rogue agency that regularly acts with political malice to harm the opponents of the Democratic Party. The agency now appears to be involved in a coordinated misinformation campaign surrounding the shooting of a former president, and it does not expect anyone to hold it accountable.The FBI is a dangerous organization that sees itself as above the law and immune to consequences, and its top officials have every reason to feel that way.When the iconic photo of a bloodied Trump pumping his fist after a failed assassination attempt first appeared, progressives reacted by immediately spinning out several conspiracy theories. The heroic image of the former president simply could not exist alongside the left’s conception of Trump as a cowardly con man stoking the resentment of white Americans to make a few dollars.At first, the hysterical social media mob concocted an elaborate narrative about the Great Orange Hitler paying a skilled sharpshooter to graze his ear, creating a bloody but nonlethal spectacle that would become the new Reichstag fire to usher in an authoritarian regime. This fiction proved too absurd even for rabid and delusional Trump-haters, so a new theory emerged: It was broken glass, not a bullet, that ultimately struck the real estate tycoon.This theory was not as satisfying but sounded slightly more plausible. Celebrities quickly joined leftist news outlets in speculating that Trump had not taken a bullet but had simply been grazed by shrapnel. It's worth noting that Alex Jones faced a $1.5 billion judgment after a jury determined that he made false claims about the Sandy Hook shooting. Despite photos clearly showing a bullet midflight during the event, this conspiracy theory was enthusiastically repeated by those hoping to blunt the impact of Trump’s courage in the aftermath of the attempted assassination.The “shrapnel” conspiracy theory was stupid and obviously false, so it was very strange to hear FBI Director Christopher Wray last week offer it as a possible explanation for Trump’s injury when he testified in Congress.Wray, who was appointed by Trump, is not the kind of guy who walks into a congressional hearing and repeats whatever he hears on MSNBC. Wray operates the nation’s premier law enforcement agency and has access to high-level briefings. The director would have been perfectly aware of what really happened to Trump, yet he chose to insert a blatant lie into his own testimony, feeding the delusional fake news of the left. Wray inserted this lie because he knows that he is above the law.Authorities have released suspiciously little information about the man who attempted to kill Donald Trump. Like Audrey Hale, the trans shooter responsible for the deaths of six people at a Christian school in Nashville last year, Thomas Matthew Crooks’ motives may prove inconvenient for those in power, prompting law enforcement to work hard to conceal them. Initially, it appeared that Crooks was the only 20-year-old with no social media footprint or indication of his political leanings. Then the FBI revealed it had discovered one account on the social media platform Gab that it believes belonged to the failed assassin.For those unfamiliar, Gab is a social media website with a radical commitment to free speech. Due to its dedication to open conversation, the site is dominated by very right-wing users who have been banned from other platforms. Progressives and their allies in law enforcement want to paint Crooks as a disgruntled right-winger angry with an insufficiently radical Trump, but that simply is not the case. According to documents released by CEO Andrew Torba, the shooter was on Gab but spent his time trolling conservatives, making pro-Biden posts, and supporting the administration’s lockdown and border policies.On Tuesday, Deputy Director Paul Abbate was called in front of Congress to testify. While being questioned by Senator John Kennedy (R-La.), Abbate contradicted Wray’s previous testimony. He made it clear that Trump had most definitely been hit by a bullet and went on to claim that no one at the FBI had ever believed otherwise.It would be odd enough if Abbate had simply testified under oath that his boss had committed perjury on live television, but Abbate proceeded to spin his own falsehood in front of the committee.The existence and content of Crooks’ Gab account was already public knowledge, as Torba had released the information after receiving a request from law enforcement. Despite this fact, Abbate appeared to perjure himself by testifying that Crooks’ social media account had posted 700 comments with anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic views and that this was the only social media activity available to elucidate the shooter’s motives.Torba immediately took to X (formerly Twitter) and presented the FBI’s information request along with the posts in which Crooks revealed a political ideology very different from the one portrayed by Abbate. It is possible that Abbate was referring to a previously unknown account, but the deputy director failed to mention the pro-Biden Gab posts. From the evidence available, it seems likely that Abbate knowingly lied under oath to misrepresent Crooks’ political leanings and create the public narrative the notoriously biased FBI would prefer.The events surrounding the shooting of Donald Trump and the tremendous security failures involved are already incredibly suspicious. The fact that FBI leaders are willing to add to the air of mistrust by championing wild conspiracy theories and perjuring themselves in front of Congress is utterly bizarre.One thing is for sure: The FBI is a dangerous organization that sees itself as above the law and immune to consequences, and its top officials have every reason to feel that way. No conservative politician has been willing to take meaningful action against these malicious political actors. If Donald Trump manages to return to the White House, he had better plan on dismantling the FBI brick by brick. If he doesn’t, the bureau will bury him alive.

Last week, former neurosurgeon, scholar, and conservative politician Dr. Ben Carson met with Tucker Carlson to deliberate Kamala Harris’ overnight metamorphosis from an embarrassing incompetent to this adored visionary. Dave Rubin plays the clip of the duo’s candid conversation. Tucker Carlson Shocked by Ben Carson’s Warning www.youtube.com “What do you think of Kamala Harris?” Tucker asked. “I think she is a politician, and she’s interested in the accumulation of power and control,” was Carson’s straightforward answer. “Do you think she believes in anything?” Tucker then inquired. “I think she believes in government, like most Marxists. I think she is a Marxist,” said Carson. “Do you think she can win?” Tucker asked next. “Absolutely, she can win. This is going to be a great test of the power of the media to take someone who formerly was universally disliked and transform them into a godlike figure, and they will use everything that they have to try to do that,” Carson explained, adding, “The question is, are the American people smart enough to see through it?” To hear Dr. Carson’s answer to his own question — are the American people smart enough to see through the media’s lies about Kamala Harris? — watch the clip above.Want more from Dave Rubin? To enjoy more honest conversations, free speech, and big ideas with Dave Rubin, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

TikTok influencer Harry Sisson was adamant in one of his last appearances on Piers Morgan that President Joe Biden would not only make it to the 2024 election — but that he would win it. “Why don’t we have a little wager? $10,000 to a charity of your choice. I say Biden can’t possibly win, you think he can,” Morgan said, teasing Sisson. “I personally don’t bet on politics,” Sisson said, though still remaining steadfast in his support for the president. Just a few weeks after his comments, Sisson watched as his president withdrew himself from the 2024 race via a social media post — and then went back on to discuss what happened with Piers Morgan. “You were completely wrong,” Morgan said to Sisson. “Not only did Biden not stay in the race, but he certainly won’t be president again. So do you accept you were completely wrong?” “Yeah, I think I was going off of publicly available information. All of the information available was that Joe Biden was staying in. He consistently told reporters he was staying in. He said ‘I’m the guy’ and then he huddled with advisers in Delaware, saw the data, said it wasn’t looking good, and made the honorable decision to bow out,” Sisson responded. Morgan wasn’t letting him off that easily. “It was blatantly obvious to everybody that Biden was done. Especially after the debate. Why would you continue to pretend that he wasn’t?” Morgan asked the young influencer. Sisson went on to claim that when he met Biden, he was “fantastic” and “sharp” and that his “achievements and policy” mattered more than what the media was saying about him. “He was falling off stages, he was face planting, tumbling down the steps of Air Force One while falling off bicycles, he was saying all sorts of gobbledygook in a statement, which the White House had to rewind, so how ‘sharp’ was he?” Morgan continued. Sisson claimed that Biden gave him “in depth” answers to questions. “I still think Joe Biden is fit to serve, if he were the candidate, I’d still think he’s fit to serve,” Sisson added. While Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” doesn’t care to “own that little kid” by playing the clip of him — he does want to make a point. “For all the trickery that the media can do, and they can do an awful lot of trickery, the truth does start coming out. So eventually the media narrative around the momentum of Kamala and the ‘weirdness’ of all of us — that will crumble,” he explains. Want more from Dave Rubin?To enjoy more honest conversations, free speech, and big ideas with Dave Rubin, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

A former ballerina accused of fatally shooting her estranged husband has been convicted in the case that has been dubbed the "Black Swan" murder trial. Ashley Benefield, 33, had been charged with second-degree murder for the shooting death of her husband, Doug Benefield.The pair met at a Republican Party fundraiser in 2016 when Ashley was a 24-year-old ballet dancer and Doug was a 54-year-old Navy veteran and technology consultant, according to People magazine. The couple got married just 13 days later.In a Florida courtroom Tuesday night, a Manatee County jury convicted Benefield of the lesser crime of manslaughter. In Florida, manslaughter carries a 15-year-maximum prison sentence.After the verdict was announced, the judge revoked Benefield's $100,000 bond and remanded her to the custody of the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. Her sentencing date has yet to be set. Benefield fired a gun at her 58-year-old estranged husband in 2020 at her mother's home in Bradenton, Florida. Benefield’s lawyer Neil Taylor argued that the fatal shooting was in self-defense after a history of the husband's abusive behavior. In his closing argument Tuesday, Taylor said his client filed "complaint after complaint after complaint calling Doug Benefield’s behavior to the attention of authorities with no results. Over and over again with no relief," according to NBC News. In his opening statements, Taylor described the estranged husband as "a manipulative, cunning, and abusive man."“Thirty years older than Ashley, he was obsessed with her, and he successfully portrayed himself as he was not in an effort to win her hand in marriage,” Taylor said. “Despite promoting himself as a religious, honorable, and decent human being, Benefield was a manipulative, cunning, and abusive man who insisted, absolutely insisted on control.”Taylor told the courtroom that Doug once fired a handgun into a kitchen ceiling in an attempt to get Ashley to stop talking, threw a loaded gun at her, punched their dog unconscious, and regularly carried a concealed firearm that was always "ready to fire," WFLA-TV reported.“The only thing that is going to have been established here beyond a reasonable doubt is that Douglas Benefield was a violent abuser, Ashley Benefield’s efforts to placate him [were] absolutely consistent with what abused women do, especially when a child is involved, and that Ashley’s result and resource to deadly force was justified under the circumstances,” Taylor said.The pair met at a Republican Party fundraiser in 2016 when Ashley was a 24-year-old ballet dancer and Doug was a 54-year-old Navy veteran and technology consultant, according to People magazine. The couple got married just 13 days later.Eva Benefield — Doug's 23-year-old daughter from a previous marriage — said during the "Black Swan" murder trial, "They were just with each other all the time. It was very lovey-dovey. They were very touchy-feely PDAs. Any event with school or extracurricular that I was in, they were together. They never left each other's side." Less than a year later, Ashley became pregnant with Doug's child. About a year into their marriage, the couple started a ballet company — which was said to be Ashely's "dream." Assistant State Attorney Suzanne O’Donnell told the jury, “All within a year of being married, they have done a vasectomy reversal, gotten pregnant, started a ballet, and the ballet has crumbled.”The marriage also reportedly deteriorated. In 2017, the couple obtained a court order that barred them from contacting each other, O’Donnell said.During her pregnancy, the ex-ballerina moved from the pair's South Carolina residence to her mother's home outside of Sarasota, Florida.Taylor said Ashley attempted to obtain a domestic violence injunction in Florida, which would have barred her estranged husband from seeing their child. O'Donnell argued, "This was a custody battle that this mother was going to win at all costs. The cost was the life of Doug Benefield, and that is murder."A judge denied Ashley's request for a domestic injunction. WTVT-TV reported that Doug was not aware that their child was born until a restraining order was filed against him. On Sept. 27, 2020, Doug allegedly was helping Ashley pack her things for a move from her mother's Florida home to Maryland.Ashley claimed that an argument erupted, Doug slapped her in the face, and she fled to the bedroom to retrieve a handgun. She then testified that Doug blocked her from leaving the house and lunged at her. She claimed that at that moment she shot Doug. “I thought he was going to kill me,” Ashley testified, according to the New York Post.Ashely fired four rounds from her .45-caliber handgun.Benefield’s next-door neighbor, John Sant, said Ashley ran to his house immediately after the shootings. “As soon as I opened the door, before I could say anything, she said, ‘He attacked me,'” Sant told the court. “At that point, I said, ‘Who?’ She said, ‘Doug. ... He attacked me, and I shot him.” During the "Black Swan" murder trial, Sant's 911 call was played for the jury. Throughout the call, you can hear Sant attempting to calm Benefield. "She just came over, her estranged husband attacked her, and she said she shot him," Sant said in the 911 call, according to WTVT. O’Donnell said there was no evidence that Ashley had been physically assaulted. O’Donnell also said the fatal bullet that struck Doug entered through the side of his body, which she argued contradicts Ashley's testimony. Detectives noted — in regard to where the victim was struck — it “does not appear that he was facing Ashley when she began shooting.” Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Any popular MMO will be afflicted with a similar cry at some point in its lifespan. The call will go up from the community, asking, demanding, and begging for a particular new feature to be added. It’s always player housing, as adventurers crave somewhere to hang their hats after a day out battling dragons or despoiling corpses. Games like Lord of the Rings Online, Rift, ESO, Final Fantasy XIV, and Phantasy Star 2: New Genesis, all have robust player housing systems that act as compelling reasons to continue playing and show off your stuff - and now Guild Wars 2 is joining their ranks. Continue reading Guild Wars 2 dev details how player housing works in next expansion MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The best MMOs on PC, Guild Wars 2 system requirements, Guild Wars 2 expansion

Diablo 4 Season 5 is the final big update ahead of the ARPG's first expansion, Vessel of Hatred. With the fifth season set to be a little shorter than previous installments in order to line up its schedule for the DLC, you might be considering skipping out on this season. Speaking to PCGamesN, Blizzard developers agree that taking time away can be a great idea - but hint that you won’t want to miss what it has in store this time around. Continue reading Diablo 4 devs are all for breaks, but you won’t want to miss Season 5 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Diablo 4 builds, Diablo 4 review, Diablo 4 classes

Senate Republicans are quickly adapting to the new post-Biden political reality.